BILL TRACKER
As bills move through the 2021 Legislative Session, priority bills will be added and updated regularly to reflect legislative actions.
Active
Senate Bill 2149 – holds school districts harmless regarding average daily attendance for the purposes of calculating Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) funding for the 2021-2022 school year; provides for the Mississippi Department of Education to use 2019-2020 average daily attendance in lieu of current year attendance.
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 1/8/2021
- Committee substitute bill presented, amends to specify that previous year’s attendance will be used for calculation except in cases in which school district attendance has increased (line 68), 1/13/21
- Committee substitute passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/13/2021
- Passed by Senate; yeas: 52, nays: 0, absent: 0, present/not voting: 0, 2/11/2021 See vote
- Referred to House Education Committee, 2/24/2021
- Passed by House Education Committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2267 – provides for the Mississippi Department of Education to grant a standard five-year license to any teacher who holds a valid standard license from another state, subject to background check.
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 1/12/2021
- Amended in committee to require MDE to grant the license within 30 days of completed application (lines 383-384) and to make the legislation effective upon passage (lines 628-629), 1/13/2021
- Committee substitute passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/13/2021
- Amended by Senate to require MDE to grant the license within 14 days of completed application (lines 383-384) and to delete the background check provision because background checks are managed by school districts rather than MDE (lines 387-391), 2/4/2021
- Passed by Senate as amended; yeas: 49, nays: 0, absent: 3, 2/4/2021 See vote
- Referred to House Education Committee, 2/24/2021
- Passed by House Education Committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2664 – amends curriculum and reporting criteria in ELC statute.
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 1/18/2021
- Passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/27/2021
- Passed by Senate; yeas: 48, nays: 0, present: 1, absent: 3, 2/4/2021 See vote
- Referred to House Education Committee, 2/25/2021
- Strike-all version, replacing SB 2664 with the language of HB 1123, passed by House Education Committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2798 – seeks to expand broadband availability across the state and encourage the deployment of adequate internet services to unserved areas; allows utility companies to lease existing, unused fiber to internet service providers.
- Referred to Senate Energy Committee, 1/18/2021
- Committee substitute passed by Senate Energy Committee, 1/28/2021
- Committee substitute passed by Senate; yeas: 49, nays: 0, absent: 3, 2/3/2021 See vote
- Referred to House Public Utilities Committee, 2/24/2021
- Strike-all version, adding provision related to mapping of broadband availability, passed by House Public Utilities Committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
House Bill 754 – aligns state statute with federal law regarding dyslexia diagnosis and services; clarifies that if a student’s diagnosis of dyslexia does not result in an IDEA eligibility determination the district must determine if the student is eligible for a 504 plan; requires that school districts provide two hours of in-service training on dyslexia and related disorders every three years for licensed teachers and paraprofessionals.
- Referred to House Education Committee, 1/18/2021
- Passed by House Education Committee, 1/28/2021
- Passed by House; yeas: 116, nays: 0, absent: 1, present/not voting: 5, 2/10/2021 See vote
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 2/16/2021
- Strike-all version, replacing HB 754 with language of SB 2307, passed by Senate Education Committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
House Bill 852 – adjusts salary schedule for certified teachers as follows: increases starting salary for certified teachers by $1,110 to $37,000 and increases salary for all other certified teachers by $1,000, beginning in 2021-2022 school year; increases base salary for assistant teachers by $1,200 from current $14,000 to $15,200, beginning in 2021-2022 school year.
- Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/18/2021
- Committee substitute bill presented, amends to increase base salary for assistant teachers by $1,100 from current $14,000 to $15,100, beginning in 2021-2022 school year, 1/28/2021
- Committee substitute passed by House Education Committee, 1/28/2021
- Committee substitute passed by House Appropriations Committee, 2/2/2021
- Committee substitute passed by House; yeas: 118, nays: 3, absent: 1, present/not voting: 0, 2/10/2021 See vote
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/16/2021
- Strike-all version, replacing HB 852 with language of SB 2001, passed by Senate Education Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
House Bill 1123 – amends ELC statute; increases per student funding for Early Learning Collaboratives to no less than $2,500 for full-day and $1,250 for half-day programs; changes curriculum and reporting requirements; sets goal to serve 25 percent of four-year-olds by beginning of 2023-2024 school year.
- Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/18/2021
- Passed by House Education Committee, 1/28/2021
- Passed by House Appropriations Committee, 2/2/2021
- Passed by House; yeas: 113, nays: 7, absent: 1, present/not voting: 1, 2/10/2021 See vote
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/16/2021
- Strike-all version, replacing HB 1123 with language of SB 2664, passed by Senate Education Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
House Bill 1179 – establishes the William F. Winter and Jack Reed, Sr., Teacher Loan Repayment Program for first-time teachers in public school districts of Mississippi, with priority given to teachers in geographical critical teacher shortage areas.
- Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/18/2021
- Passed by House Education Committee, 1/28/2021
- Passed by House Appropriations Committee, 2/2/2021
- Passed by House; yeas: 114, nays: 7, absent: 1, present/not voting: 0, 2/10/2021 See vote
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/16/2021
- Strike-all version, replacing HB 1179 with language of SB 2305, passed by Senate Education Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
House Bill 1301 – creates the Comprehensive Career and Technical Education Reform Act; requires school districts to inform incoming middle school students of available career technical education pathways and courses; provides for student performance on WorkKeys to be included in the college- and career-readiness portion of the Mississippi Statewide Accountability System and to be weighted equitably with the standard ACT assessment.
- Referred to House Workforce Development Committee, 1/18/2021
- Committee substitute passed by House Workforce Development Committee, 1/28/2021
- Committee substitute passed by House, 2/3/2021
- Held by House on a motion to reconsider, 2/4/2021
- Reconsidered by House; strike-all version presented; amends to require districts to offer the ACT WorkKeys assessment to any students electing to take it in grades 9, 10, or 11, 2/11/2021
- Passed by House as amended; yeas: 118, nays: 0, absent: 1, present/not voting: 3, 2/11/2021 See vote
- Referred to Senate Education and Economic and Workforce Development Committees, 2/24/2021
- Strike-all version, replacing all provisions with limited language specifying the option of a career-readiness assessment in public schools, passed by Senate Education Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all passed by Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on the amended version of this bill, as passed by House on 2/11/2021.
House Bill 1387 – funds pre-k through grade 12 education; placeholder language includes Legislative Budget Committee-recommended levels and will be updated following revenue estimate revision later in session.
- Referred House Appropriations Committee, 2/17/2021
- Passed by House Appropriations Committee, 2/22/2021
- Passed by House, 2/23/2021
House Bill 1439 – makes sweeping changes to the state’s revenue system through the Mississippi Tax Freedom Act; could eliminate one-third of General Fund and trigger massive budget cuts to public education and other essential state services.
- Referred to House Ways and Means Committee, 2/22/2021
- Passed by House Ways and Means Committee, 2/22/2021
- Amended by House to make technical changes and add tax provisions, 2/23/2021
- Passed by House as amended; yeas: 85, nays: 34, absent: 0, present/not voting: 3, 2/23/2021 See vote
The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on this bill.
Dead
Senate Bill 2001 – DEAD – adjusts salary schedule for certified teachers as follows: increases starting salary for certified teachers by $1,110 to $37,000 and increases salary for all other certified teachers by $1,000, beginning in 2021-2022 school year; increases salary for assistant teachers by $1,000 from current $14,000 to $15,000, beginning in 2021-2022 school year.
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/5/2021
- Passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/13/2021
- Passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 1/19/2021
- Passed by Senate; yeas: 49, nays: 0, absent: 3, 1/21/2021 See vote
- Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/24/2021
- Died in committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2064 – DEAD – allows income tax credits for costs related to private school tuition or fees and home school expenses.
- Referred to Senate Finance Committee, 1/5/2021
- Died in committee, 2/24/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2305 – DEAD – establishes the William F. Winter and Jack Reed, Sr., Teacher Loan Repayment Program for first-time teachers in public school districts of Mississippi, with priority given to teachers in geographical critical teacher shortage areas.
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/14/2021
- Committee substitute passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/20/2021
- Passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 1/26/21
- Amended by Senate to add reverse repealer, 2/4/2021
- Passed by Senate as amended; yeas: 47, nays: 2, absent: 3, 2/4/2021 See vote
- Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/24/2021
- Died in committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2307 – DEAD – aligns state statute with federal law regarding dyslexia diagnosis and services; clarifies that if a student’s diagnosis of dyslexia does not result in an IDEA eligibility determination the district must determine if the student is eligible for a 504 plan; requires that school districts provide two hours of in-service training on dyslexia and related disorders every three years for licensed teachers and paraprofessionals.
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 1/14/2021
- Committee substitute bill presented, removes in-service training provision, 1/20/2021
- Committee substitute passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/20/2021
- Passed by Senate; yeas: 49, nays: 0, absent: 3, present/not voting: 0, 2/4/2021 See vote
- Referred to House Education Committee, 2/24/2021
- Died in committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2665 – DEAD – increases per student funding for Early Learning Collaboratives to no less than $2,500 for full-day and $1,250 for half-day programs; sets goal to serve 25 percent of four-year-olds by beginning of 2023-2024 school year.
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/18/2021
- Passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/27/2021
- Died in committee, 2/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
House Bill 505 – DEAD – encourages new investment in broadband infrastructure.
- Referred to House Public Utilities Committee, 1/18/2021
- Passed by House Public Utilities Committee, 1/27/2021
- Passed by House; yeas: 114, nays: 5, present/not voting: 2, absent: 1, 2/9/2021 See vote
- Referred to Senate Energy and Appropriations Committees, 2/18/2021
- Amended by Senate Energy Committee to add a reverse repealer, 3/1/2021
- Passed by Senate Energy Committee as amended, 3/1/2021
- Died in committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
